But with Chelsea among those linked with a £30m move for Vardy in January, the Frenchman claims the England striker is worth every penny.

He said: “Is Vardy a £30m player? Yes, as he is the best goalscorer in the league. You have many players under him who have been paid much more, who don’t score that number of goals.

“The mystery over Vardy – without a doubt, he is worth that money today – is: ‘Why is he nearly 29 and nobody has bought him before?’ And why didn’t he have that success before? But today, of course, nobody would dispute that.

“What I said about Martial is that I didn’t question the amount of money or the quality of the player.

“But for a player without three or four years at the top level behind him, I said that it’s a gamble.”